Join me on quest back in time to when the term “Arena Rock” ruled the roost and actually held a lot more potency than it seems to do today. It was a time when bands like Foreigner, Styx and of course our artist of discussion Triumph, were clear leaders in the field of battle upon this realm. I’m scrolling backward a couple of decades here because there was just something intense about an arena Rock show, and the overall “big” feeling that one got during it. It was a feeling that seemed to last you throughout the entire week after you saw it but I guess you would have had to experience this to best understand where I am coming from. The music geography has changed dramatically since this time I speak of and while bands like the aforementioned Styx and Foreigner are still touring, they hardly sell out arenas on their own and are forced to play mid-sized venues in pairs or in threes with other legendary acts. Triumph was one of the greats in my musical upbringing and I loved quite a few of their songs but one day they just ceased to be and there was no farewell tour or official goodbye to be enjoyed by their fans. It was just “over”. The special nature of their material made this release something interesting to take a look at based on the tunes that it presented and what was done with them. Ladies and Gentlemen allow me to present to you “Triumph’s Greatest Hits Remixed”.Continue reading “Greatest Hits Remixed” by Triumph→

Released in celebration of the band’s 20th anniversary of the legendary performance at the 1983 US Festival comes “Live At The US Festival”, and it’s a concert recording that finds Canada’s own Triumph as a band on top of their game and aiming straight for the future with excellence. The band was appearing on the bill during the Rock day of the Festival and was touring in support of their “Never Surrender” album but despite that being the release the guys would deliver a set loaded with numbers from their earlier albums as well. The CD captures the entire set of eight songs and it’s a stunning performance that can only be considered flawless in its overall sound and sonic delivery. The bonus ninth track is a live recording of “Follow Your Heart”, the blockbuster tune that would come from the “Never Surrender” follow up “Thunder Seven”. Triumph was an amazing band of three musicians and while their number matched Rush, they were a little more straight ahead Power Rock than their Progressive countrymen and were one of the core groups who the term “Arena Rock” was coined about. Fans of the band will attest to their abilities any day of the week and if you were lucky enough to have seen them live back in the day then you know exactly what I am talking about. They always sounded bigger than a three piece band and that was because of the shared vocals of Rik Emmett and Gil Moore and the very powerful and tasty Heavy Rock that they were always delivering. While the set list is rather short there are nothing but their most revered anthems in it and that makes this a perfect part of your ever growing CD library. There is a booklet included but its more of a foldout and there is very little to enjoy on that. There is nothing to speak of in the way of band or live performance photos.Continue reading “Live At The US Festival” by Triumph→

I have always loved the music that Triumph brought to the table because it was not only extremely powerful in terms of the overall drive that it possessed, but it was highly melodic stuff that was very rich in its musicianship. Clearly, Canada had more than one three piece superpower under their belts for Rock fans to enjoy. This compilation release is the perfect way to remember the larger majesty that Triumph possessed as a band for it presents you with a healthy dose of their most memorable compositions. It is a great place for the music fan who only remembers the stories that older friends might have mentioned about them in the past because when it comes down to it this was a truly incredible band. Formed in 1975 by members Gil Moore (drums, vocals), Rik Emmett (guitar, vocals) and Mike Levine (bass, vocals) they were an arena rock band in every sense of the word with a big sound and an even bigger production for their audience in the live setting. If you were already a fan then this is a nice little compilation to have for the car or in the office as all of the staples are included on it. We get the sweet sounds of “Hold On”, the promise of keeping hopes alive in “Magic Power” and “Follow Your Heart”, a tune whose message is lined out right in the title. I’ve also always had a place in my Metal heart for the resounding power of “Fight The Good Fight” and to my knowledge this was also the first Triumph tune that I was ever exposed to by some friends back in my High School days. The songs cover a large number of Gil Moore and Rik Emmet vocal tracks and it seems rather equally distributed. Emmet was always the one in charge of the need to break some glass notes while Moore seemed to handle the bands heavier numbers. The great thing about the sharing of the vocal duties in Triumph was that neither member seemed to slow down on their instrument while they did so. Its great inspiration to any musician who also needs to double up on this aspect of band life and proves that it can be done well if you practice hard enough at it.Continue reading “Classics” (remaster) by Triumph→

If there is one single album by the band Triumph that belongs in your CD collection then “Allied Forces” is that CD. Any collector of great music will agree that the numbers on this release (originally released in 1981) make this a must have in your collection to start you off on music of Triumph properly. With “Allied Force” the Canadian power trio touched upon the lines between Hard Rock and Progressive Music, and this release contains some of their most seminal numbers. In addition to the title track, this CD is the home to “Magic Power” and the big arena rock anthem “Fight The Good Fight”. The impact of these songs was so great in that you would always find the band including them in their live set until they ceased touring in the 1990’s. While The reason is purely based on “Allied Forces” being the home to seminal Triumph numbers such as “Magic Power”, “Allied Forces” and the total arena anthem “Fight The Good Fight”. Looking back on their rich catalog this is perhaps the most classic of all of their releases and is a high recommendation in this version. Rik Emmett, Gil Moore and Mike Levine never sounded better and it is my hope that with these remastered editions and people rediscovering Triumph music that perhaps a reunion of some type is in order.Continue reading “Allied Forces” (remaster) by Triumph→

In the event you never realized it. Canada not only provided us with the Masters Of Prog Rock RUSH, but they are also at the fore of bringing us the music of Triumph. This amazing three-piece group ended their career far too early if you ask me. There was never a farewell or retirement tour of any kind. Such things were not as common place as they are today. One day they were very simply gone. The music of Triumph leaned more to the hard rock/metal side at times more so than that of progressive bands. The songs were almost always very easy to appreciate and they did get a sufficient amount of airplay as in their heyday. I remembered that classic rock stations would play more of this type of music than one would expect to hear today. This DVD entitled “A Night Of Triumph” showcases one of the bands last albums in performance before their seemed retirement. That album and tour was for the “Sport Of Kings” record.Continue reading “A Night Of Triumph Live” by Triumph→